SAUMITRA NEUPANE

Saumitra Neupane is a seasoned political economist with over a decade of experience specializing in policies, institutions, and markets related to water and energy resources. Currently, he leads Policy Entrepreneurs Inc. (PEI) as Executive Director, overseeing strategic initiatives in infrastructure diplomacy, sub-national governance, and policy reforms. His role includes program design, fundraising, and stakeholder engagement at national, regional, and international levels. Saumitra’s strengths lie in fostering influential alliances for evidence-driven policy engagements and guiding thematic initiatives in water, energy, infrastructure, and climate.

Prior to his current role, Saumitra served as the Director of Practice for Water Governance and Political Economy at PEI, where he led significant projects such as stakeholder strategy development in the Kamala River Basin and research on Nepal-India water treaties. His earlier engagements include his tenure at Niti Foundation as a Senior Programs Officer, where he conducted political economy analyses and supported power sector reforms in Nepal. Saumitra holds an MPhil in Public Administration from Tribhuvan University, an MA in Sustainable Development Practice from TERI School of Advanced Studies, and a BA in Development Studies from Kathmandu University.For the past decade, he has been engaged in a number of key reforms in Nepal’s electricity sector and contributed to numerous researches on Nepal’s electricity and water resources.